Hog-yoke.



A-. H. BRIDWELL.

HOG YOKE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC/9. 1915.

Patented Feb. 27,1917.

l/Vl/EIV TOR flLFREDHBBkZJMLL,

ATTORNEYS as co.. macro-"mu. wun'rginmu. ay (:4

ably positioned hooks for engagement with v to manufacture.

NICE.

ALFRED HADEN BRIDWELL, OF BEECH GROVE, KEN TIl'GKY.

HOG-YOKE.

Specification of Iietcers Patent. Patented Feb, 27, 1917.

Application filed December 9, 1915. Serial No. 65,903.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED H. BRIDWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Beech Grove, in the county of McLean and State of Kentucky, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hog- Yokes, of which the following is a specification.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide an improved neck yoke for animals, particularly swine, of a nature to prevent the animals from forcing or burrowing-their way through fences or other similar structures, novel features of construction for adjusting the device in placing the same in use and'for maintaining the equilibrium of the device whereby to return it to proper position after displacement caused by wallowing or rolling of the animal, being involved in the construction of the invention.

-A further object of the invention is to' provide an improved device of the class described which will be extremely simple, du-

rable, efficient in operation, and inexpensive With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts. throughout the several figures of which- Figure 1 represents a view in perspective showing the device as in place on an animal.

Fig. 2 represents a view in section taken von a plane extending at right angles to the axis of the device.

Fig. 3 represents a view in section taken through the device on a plane extending axially thereof.

Fig. 4 represents a view in a modified form of the invention.

The invention provides generally a wire or other flexible ring upon which are suitfencesor other similar obstructions through whichthe animal might attempt to pass, said ring being .adapted to be positioned perspective of upon the neck of'the animal, and having free ends adapted to be drawn to acquire the correct adjustment and to be then twisted upon themselves about a'bar provided on one of the hook-carrying plates for finally securing the ring. The device is so arranged that the lower portio-n'thereof isheavier than the upper portion so that the yoke will assume its normal position following its displacement by wallowing, rolling, or. other actions of the animal,'in orderthat the hooks will be supported in the: proper position to engage any obstruction through which the animal may try to pass.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a wire ring is indicated at 5. Arranged at the lower portion of the ring is a relatively heavy curved plate 6. The plate is provided centrally with a downwardly extending hook 7 either cast upon the plate or formed by doubling the plate upon itself. as

shown, and the shank or body portion of the hook is provided with an opening through "yWhiCh the ring 5 extends. The ends of plate 6 are perforated as at 8 to form eye's through which the ring 5 is passed, and is then looped asat 9 whereby to fixedly retain the plate in place upon the ring.

Abovethe plate 6 is arranged upon ring 5, a pair of plates 10 and 11, suitably secured together by rivets or other fastening means. The plate 10 is provided centrally and Iongitudinally with an outwardly extending channel or corrugation as at 12. The lower 5 platell at its ends'extends beyond the ends of plate 10', and is slightlybent upwardly andprovided with openings at 13 in alinement with the ends of the channel or corrugation 1.9. The ends of ring 5 are free before thedevice is finally secured in place on an animal?s neck, and are passed each through one of the openings 13 provided in the ends of plate 11, extend along between the plates .10 and 11, through the channel 12,

and finally project out each through'one of 10 onone side of the centralportion thereof. The openings define a bar or strap 15, and the ends of ring 5 cross each other beneath this bar. When the device has been placed on the neck of the hogvor other animal on .a pair'of openings 14 provided in the plate which it is to be used, and has been finally adjusted to the correct position by drawing upon the ends of the ring, these ends are bent back across the bar 15 on the outside thereof, and are then twisted together as at 16 in the manner indicated in Fig. 2. The plate 10 at its central portion is provided with an upstanding hook 17 which extends forwardly in a common direction with hook 7. When the device is in position on an animal, the twisted ring ends 16 will be positioned behind the right ear of the animal and will not be liable to become caught by a fence or other obstruction and thus become twisted and broken. The ends of the plate 11 which extend beyond the ends of plate 10, are provided with openings 18 in which additional hooks may be anchored if desired. The plate 6 is made comparatively heavy, so that the center of gravity of the device will be retained in the lower portion thereof, whereby the device will be returned to position for maintaining the hooks 17 and 7 in vertical alinement, at such times as the de-' vice may be displaced through the action of the animal in rolling or wallowing. In this manner the device will automatically adjust itself to always retain the hooks in position toengage against the obstruction which the animal may attempt to pass through. The device is intended to be placed upon the animals neck with such degree of adjustment as to allow of rotation of the device, whereby the animal will not be choked, annoyed, or irritated by too close a contact of the device with its flesh. V

A modified form of the device is represented in Fig. 1 wherein the ring is in the nature of a flexible band 5 of leather or other suitable material. This band is passed through openings provided adj aeent the ends of a lower plate 6 in such a manner that the portion of the band lying between the openings occurs on the upper face of the plate and adjacent the skin of the animal. The fastening element, in the nature of a pin or similar device, which connects the band and plate, may be extended downwardly and bent over to form a hook 7 Above the plate 6, which is relatively heavy, is riveted or otherwise secured to the band a smaller plate 10, upon which is provided a hook 17. The band 5 is provided with a buckle or other suitable adjusting device indicated at 19.

Although I have described the preferred embodiments of my device, I may desire to make such changes in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts thereof, as do not depart from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In-a device of the class described, the

combination of a wire ring having free ends, a longitudinally curved relatively heavy lower plate having eyes formed at its ends through which the ring is passed and looped in such manner that the plate is anchored upon the ring, a downwardly extending hook formed on the plate through which the wire extends, a pair of upper plates suitably connected together and provided one with a longitudinally extending channel, the other plate extending at its ends beyond the ends of the first plate and having openings alining with the ends of the channel and through which the ends of the wire ring are adapted to pass, a bar defined in one of the upper plates by spaced openings provided therein and arranged on one side of the cen tral portion of that plate, the free ends of said wire ring being passed through the channel and through said openings and adapted to be twisted upon said bars, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a wire ring having free ends, a lower relatively heavy plate secured to the wire ring, said plate being provided with a hook through which the wire extends, a pair of upper plates between which the ends of the ring are adapted to be passed, one of said plates being provided with a pair of spaced openings, a cross bar defined by the openings, the free ends of said ring being adapted to be extended through said openings and twisted upon said cross bar, and an outstanding hookcarried by one of said upper plates. 7

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a wire ring having free ends, a lower relatively heavy plate secured to the wire ring and provided with a hook, a pair of upper-platesprovided one with a longitudinally extending channel and with a cross bar defined by spaced openings provided in that plate,-the other of the upper plates having its ends extending beyond the first upper plate and provided with openings through which the ends of the wire ring are extended, said ends being extended through the channel and being passed outwardly through the openings provided in the first upper plate and twisted together upon the cross bar, and a hook carried by one of the upper plates and extending outwardly from the ring.- 1

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a wire ring having free ends, a lower relatively heavy plate carried by the ring andhaving a hook depending there from, a pair of upper platesbetween which the ends of the wire ring extend, said plates being suitably secured together, and being provided one with a pair of spaced openings through which theends ofthe ring extend, a cross bar defined between the openings, the

free ends of said ring being twisted upon securing the plates to the band, and means I said cross bar, and a hook carried by one whereby the band may be adjusted to vari- 10 of thguppiar pliates. ous diameters nee: yo e comprlslng a air of 0 positely curved diametrically opp hsed plat s ALFRED HADEN BRIDWELL' having hooks projecting from the convex Witnesses: surfaces thereof, one of said plates being J. T. OOFFMAN, heavier than the other, a flexible band, means E. A. BROADLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

